Radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) is a potentially curative method for treatment of highly symptomatic and drug-refractory atrial fibrillation (AF). However, this technique can provoke esophageal and nerve lesion, due to thermal injury. To our knowledge, there have been no reported cases of a newly described motor disorder, the Jackhammer esophagus (JE) after RFCA, independently of GERD. ...

BACKGROUND There are conflicting data concerning the effect of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) on esophageal motor function. HYPOTHESIS Duration of GERD might affect severity of symptoms, grade of esophageal mucosal injury, and esophageal motor behavior. DESIGN Retrospective study of a defined cohort. SETTINGS Two referral centers, one of them academic, for esophageal gastrointesti...

Twenty-four hour esophageal pH-monitoring is gold standard for evaluate pathological GERD. Role of radiography and ultrasonography in the diagnosis of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) has been studied. Our results have been shown that radiography and ultrasonography have a limited role in the diagnosis of pathological GERD. However, such investigations an useful the follow-up of patients...

BACKGROUND AND AIM The reason that some reflux episodes evoke symptoms is poorly understood, therefore the aim of this study is to assess the determinants of reflux perception in patients with non-erosive reflux disease (NERD) on proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy. METHODS Ten NERD patients with persistent symptoms, despite double-dose PPI therapy, were included in this study. All patients h...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Impedance-pH monitoring allows detailed characterization of gastroesophageal reflux and esophageal activity associated with reflux. We assessed the characteristics of nocturnal reflux and esophageal activity preceding and following reflux. METHODS Impedance-pH tracings from 11 healthy subjects and 76 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease off acid-suppressive therapy we...

Background/Aims Twenty-four-hour esophageal impedance and pH monitoring allows detection of all types of reflux episodes and is considered the best technique for identifying gastroesophageal refluxes. However, normative data for the Japanese population are lacking. This multicenter study aimed to establish the normal range of 24-hour esophageal impedance and pH data both in the distal and the p...